Baltimore, MD

Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Historic Building
DESCRIPTION: Isaac Myers was an 18th century Black businessman who employed Frederick Douglass at this site to load and unload ship cargo; building is slowly being restored by the state of Maryland as part of its living classrooms initiative; the site is located at the edge of Fells Point leading inter the Inner Harbor

ADDRESS: 1417 Thames Street  MAP

Frederick Douglass Row Houses
DESCRIPTION: Frederick Douglass (1817-1895) was landlord for houses in this neighborhood; no doubt they helped fund his many abolitionist activities

ADDRESS: 516-524 South Dallas Street  MAP

Old Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School
DESCRIPTION: Founded in 1925 to serve African Americans in East Baltimore; although a fine public school in other ways; from the 1960s through 1990s the school earned a reputation for having some of the elite basketball teams and players in the nation; several players have gone to the NBA; new Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School at US Route 40 was home to Baltimore's greatest basketball player, Skip Wise, who led the school through two undefeated seasons and #1 nationwide rankings

ADDRESS: 1400 Orleans Street  MAP

PHONE: 410-396-9478

Banneker Building
DESCRIPTION: This is reportedly the first office building constructed for African American professionals and businesspersons in Baltimore in the 1910s

ADDRESS: 21 East Saratoga Street  MAP

Thurgood Marshall Residence
DESCRIPTION: The esteemed Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall grew up here; NOT open to the public

ADDRESS: 1632 Division Street  MAP

Baltimore Civil War Museum
DESCRIPTION: In addition to the many artifacts of Baltimore colored Troops who fought in the war, this building served as a station on the Underground Railroad; the site also demarks the birthplace of the Pratt Street Riot, which marked the first bloodshed of the Civil War

DAYS & HOURS: Wed-Sun 10a-5p

ADDRESS: 601 President Street  MAP

PHONE: 410-385-5188

Parks Sausage Company
DESCRIPTION: Founded by Henry Parks, it became the first Black-owned company listed on the stock exchange; many people on the East Coast are familiar with the company's jingle "More Parks Sausages, Mom. Please"; at one time, Parks Sausage was the largest Black manufacturing company in America; the company now operates under a different owner

ADDRESS: present site of Orioles Park at Camden Yards  MAP

Joshua Johnson Historic Marker
DESCRIPTION: The most famous 19th century Black portrait artist had a studio at this site

ADDRESS: Charles Street at Baltimore Street  MAP

Colored YWCA
DESCRIPTION: In 1896, Sarah A Murphy, Mary E. Bright, Martha Murphy, Frances Murphy, Mary E Cooper, Novella Rayne and Maggie Ridley founded Baltimore’s first YWCA for Colored women on Biddle Street; as the success of the institution grew it moved to Druid Hill Ave; perhaps the best symbol of the group’s achievement is when growth caused it to move to this location in 1945; after the institution was merged into the general YWCA at 128 W Franklin Street, the building has now been converted into a condominium (closed to public)

ADDRESS: 1912-16 Madison Ave  MAP

Orchard Street Church
DESCRIPTION: A former enslaved person, Truman Pratt founded this church in 1825; as evidenced by its mile-long secret tunnel, the church was a key stop on the Underground Railroad path to freedom in Canada; tours are by appt; no longer an active place of worship, historic site houses the Baltimore Urban League chapter and ocassionally living history events by Renaissance Productions & Tours

ADDRESS: 512 Orchard Street  MAP

PHONE: Urban League 410-523-8150

Royal Theater Historic Marker
DESCRIPTION: The 1,350 seat theater opened 1921 as the Douglass Theater and was billed as "the finest colored theater in America owned and controlled by colored people"; although it closed due to financial difficulties 4 years later, it quickly reopened under white ownership as the Royal Theatre to serve the same audience; with integration in the 1960s came regretful changes to income demographics in the area, this ultimately led to the theater’s closing; rather than being restored as part of the Pennsylvania Ave redevelopment, it was unwittingly demolished in 1971; an unremarkable plaque is all that remains until a memorial park is constructed

ADDRESS: 1329 Pennsylvania Ave  MAP

Old Frederick Douglass High School
DESCRIPTION: Founded in 1867 as the first Colored Primary school in Maryland and the first below the Mason-Dixon Line; in 1889 it also received high school status, enabling it to serve grades 5-12; it remained the only high school for Colored People in the state until 1918; for most of the 20th century Douglass High School was also known for excellence in Black teaching, when due to segregation preventing them from working in their chosen professions, many teachers had advanced and technical degrees

ADDRESS: Baker, Carey, Cumberland and Calhoun Streets  MAP

Camden Station
DESCRIPTION: Harriet Tubman used this Underground Railroad station to transport enslaved people to freedom; the façade of this historic railroad station has been restored as part of the Orioles Park at Camden Yards Complex; note that Baltimore's famous Negro Leagues baseball player, Negro Leagues Baseball star Leon Day, is honored nearby at the Eutaw Street entrance of the baseball park

ADDRESS: 333 West Camden Street  MAP

Mount Auburn Cemetery
DESCRIPTION: Baltimore’s oldest Black Cemetery contains a who’s who of runaway slaves, doctors, lawyers, businesspersons; it was established and operated by free persons of color

ADDRESS: 2630 Waterview Ave  MAP

PHONE: 410-523-9488

Desegregated Tennis Court Marker
DESCRIPTION: Location of the 1st public protest against Baltimore’s segregated tennis courts in 1948; the marker lists 24 brave people who were arrested for protesting by playing on the court; ultimately the tennis courts were integrated

ADDRESS: Grove Road in Druid Hill Park  MAP

Arbutus, MD

Arbutus Memorial Park
DESCRIPTION: On plantation land once owned by the Summer Francis, it is now the second oldest Black cemetery in greater Baltimore; Leon Day, Chick Webb, and others well known figures too numerous to mention

ADDRESS: 1101 Sulphur Springs Road at Shelbourne Road  MAP

PHONE: 410-242-2700

Hampton, MD

Hampton National Historic Park
DESCRIPTION: Now managed by the National Park Service, this land was first purchased from Lord Baltimore's daughter by Charles Ridgely in 1745; at one time his estate consisted of 11,000 acres and was tended by 300 enslaved people who helped make him wealthy; they built one of the finest examples of 18th century Georgian style mansions on the land; though Ridgely freed some upon his death, most of his enslaved persons remained in bondage until the end of the Civil War; Ridgely's heirs continued as socialites on the property until 1979; slave quarters, a smokehouse, orangery, orchards, and barn accompany the mansion for a glimpse back at those times

ADMISSION: free to walk the grounds; $5 mansion tour

DAYS & HOURS: daily 9a-5p

ADDRESS: 535 Hampton Lane  MAP

PHONE: 410-823-1309

WEBSITE: http://www.nps.gov/hamp